The Ford Mustang Shelby is the perfect blend of American muscle meets sports performance. The name Mustang Shelby has been around since 1965 when it was first produced by Shelby American. It was reinvented by Ford in 1969 and has been in and out of production up until as late as 2014.

Now though, Ford has outdone itself with the latest Shelby Mustang GT500. The Shelby’s 5.2L V8 engine is capable of pumping out a whopping 760 horsepower, making it one of the most popular muscle cars on the market.

According to Car and Driver, “The Shelby GT500 sits at the pinnacle of American muscle cars alongside the 650-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the 797-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.”

Although the Ford Mustang Shelby seems like the pinnacle of American muscle, there are still plenty of other options out there, some coming close to matching the Shelby, some ripping right past it. Here we have 15 cars we’d buy instead of the Shelby Mustang.

15 2020 BMW Alpina B6 XDrive Gran Coupe

caranddriver.com

The BMW Alpina B6 is a great option to look at instead of the Mustang Shelby. Running with a Twin-Turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, pumping out up to 591 horsepower. The B6 comes packed with a high quality leather interior and lumbar support seats, but it is known for its limited legroom.

14 2018 Callaway Camaro SC750

gmauthority.com

The Callaway Camaro is a perfect example of American muscle. Based on the Chevrolet ZL1 it packs a whopping 750 horsepower and comes equipped with Callaway-designed Gen Three Supercharger. Hitting 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds, The Callaway Camaro is an extremely powerful car. The Callaway has a 6.2-liter engine with a maximum torque of 739 lb-ft.

13 2020 BMW Alpina B4 Biturbo Convertible

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The Alpina B4 is next on our list. With its twin-turbocharged, 3-liter, six-cylinder engine, the B4 can pump out up to 400 horsepower and has a torque of 442 lb-ft. It's based on the standard N55 BMW 435i, just with double the amount of turbos. With a sleek design and lush interior, it really is a cool car.

12 2019 Hennessey Corvette ZR1 HPE1200

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According to Motor1, the Hennessey Corvette,“matches the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport a.k.a. the former fastest production car in the world.” This Corvette is absolutely packed with power, running a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine, this car produces a whopping 1200 horsepower at a torque of 1,066 lb-ft.

11 2018 Hennessey Jeep Trackhawk HPE850

hennesseyperformance.com

This Trackhawk Jeep packs a punch, with its unique tuning, it's able to produce some serious horsepower up to 850 hp. Its 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8 engine produces a massive 645 lb per feet of torque. Carcoops refers to it as the “definition of a high-performance SUV.”

10 2018 Hennessey Challenger SRT Demon HPE1000

hennesseyperformance.com

The challenger is a beast of a muscle car, Hennessey’s innovative engineering has kept the old stock 6.2-liter V8 but replaces the 2.7-liter supercharger with a beastly 4.5-liter. HotCars has referred to Hennessey's decision to replace this as “so drastic, it almost invariably means a supercharger that’s bigger than Idaho.”

9 2018 Hennessey Audi R8 V10 Twin Turbo

hennesseyperformance.com

Another excellent rendition from Hennessey, this Audi comes with a 5.2-liter V10 engine and is capable of lashing out over 600 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. This car has some surreal power, going from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds.

8 2017 Hennessey Corvette Stingray HPE750

hennesseyperformance.com

The 2017 Hennessey Stingray is a flawless version of a seriously powerful sports car. The Stingray's 6.2-liter V8 engine can reach horsepower up to 750 and torque up to 500 lb-ft. With cold air induction and cat-back exhaust system, Hennessey really pulled out all the stops on this Corvette.

7 2016 Hennessey Mustang HPE750

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The Hennessey tuning of this Ford Mustang comes packed with a 5-liter V8 engine and can pump out up to 774 horsepower. What makes this Mustang a must-have is the supercharger system, which is set to 9 psi of boost. 0 to 60 in 2 seconds, this Mustang packs a serious punch.

6 2015 VF Engineering Huracán VF800

reperformance.co.uk

VF engineering has stolen the show with this Lamborghini. With more than 800 horsepower and the ability to go 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds, this is a seriously fast car. With what Road and Track call “one of the best-sounding, naturally-aspirated V10s money can buy.” This version of the Huracan is sure to get the adrenaline pumping.

5 2016 Mercedes Maybach S600 Brabus 900

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If you are looking for a luxury car, the Mercedes Maybach S600 by Brabus is a car to watch. Not only luxurious but powerful as well, with horsepower up to 750 and a torque of 811 lb-ft, 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds, the weight of the sedan style body is perfectly matched to its V12 engine.

4 2016 Flyin' Miata MX-5 Miata w/ LS3 Swap

flyinmiata.com

This powerful conversion is an absolute monster of a car. This car's 6.3-liter V8 engine pumps out 525 horsepower, which is a huge amount for such a small car! This is all made possible by a Chevrolet Performance LS376/525 crate engine. Also included is a Tremec T56 six-speed manual and a Camaro SS Positraction differential.

3 2016 Brabus Mercedes G63 700 WIDESTAR

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This Mercedes is up next and it does not disappoint! As Topspeed put it “Subtlety has never been one of Brabus’ strong suits” With Brabus' master tuning, this off-roader's seriously cool exterior is matched under the hood by some serious power, with 690 horsepower and a top speed of 149 miles per hour.

2 2015 Saleen Mustang S302 Black Label

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This Mustang is the result of some serious automotive innovation by Saleen Automotive Inc. It carries a Mustang’s 5-liter supercharged V8 and Saleen claims it can reach horsepower up to 730 with 600 lb-ft of torque. As Car and Driver put it, “the Black Label is the dark horse in the pony car battlefield, no pun intended.”

1 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Q4

Wikipedia

To finish off the list we have this superb Alfa Romeo. With unbelievable power, it can do 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds and runs a quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds. Which for an SUV is impressive, to say the least. MotorTrend claims “The 505-hp Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is nearly the quickest gasoline-fueled SUV we've ever tested.

Sources: Road and Track, Car and Driver, MotorTrend, Top Speed